Sundeman says peaceful stance didn't work, so he's gotten tough

Three of John Sundeman’s fellow board members think he is rude, disruptive and insulting.

But Sundeman says he’s not. He says he’s just making his case for preventing the waste of taxpayer dollars.

The Anastasia Mosquito Control District board imposed a recent gag order and censure last month on Sundeman, an action he calls “ludicrous” and which “threatens me and threatens the citizens of St. Johns County.”

The order is apparently unenforceable, and Sundeman discussed some of the reasons that his outspoken — some would say biting or irritable — manner occurs so often. “It’s not about mosquito control,” he said. “It’s about the prostitution of the taxpayer’s money. I can’t sit there and remain calm when I see those people throwing away millions of dollars. I want to stand up and say, ‘Enough!’ I tried a peaceful stance. It did not work.” He protests the board spending $1.2 million for 25 acres near State Road 16 for a proposed new headquarters. The building could cost $3 million. “I believe the board made a terrible mistake (in approving the move),” he said. “Essentially they are saying to me, ‘You must join us and build a new facility, and don’t say anything about it.’ But according to the U.S. Constitution, a minority can criticize the majority.” Within days of the censure, Sundeman violated the board’s rules by mailing two letters critical of Mosquito Control to County Administrator Michael Wanchick and area newspapers, with a third planned to be mailed on Tuesday. “You do not go out and spend millions of taxpayer dollars because a hurricane is coming,” he said, referring to one of the main reasons the district wants to move — its proximity to the ocean on St. Augustine Beach. Board member Vivian Browning convinced the board, less Sundeman, that a major storm could destroy the Old Beach Road headquarters compound and release hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel and dangerous pesticides, making a toxic soup of area waters. The county moved the Emergency Operations Center inland for the same reason. Sundeman said he “can’t go to bed at night” if he hadn’t done all he could to save tax dollars. A certified public accountant, Sundeman said his business clients are all working-class people who don’t have money to throw away, so he doesn’t want to see a governmental agency doing that. “It upsets me that (the district is) going to spend millions of dollars on things we don’t need,” he said. “I probably get more upset than the average person.” That’s almost certainly a gross understatement to district staffers, who have for years borne the brunt of Sundeman’s sarcasm, anger, accusations, charges of incompetence, personal attacks and constant requests for information. “Malfeasance” has been Sundeman’s favorite word in referring to the staff and board. He has been especially unkind to District Director Rui-de Xue, often publicly complaining about Xue’s English language skills and attacking his degree, credentials and management skills. The rest of the board is afraid of a lawsuit from employees who claim there’s a “hostile work environment” at Mosquito Control. Sundeman did not go into specifics about the board’s accusation about creating a hostile work environment, other than to say he thinks Xue is incompetent and that the board was forced to hire an assistant director for $75,000 a year, wasting more tax dollars. “I’m an accountant and trained in ethics. My reputation is built on trust,” he said. “I don’t know of any manager who doesn’t get some flak from his board or the public.” His enmity with Xue reaches back years and began when Sundeman served as district financial advisor and Xue was a newly appointed district director. Former board chairwoman Mary Tarver Willis said Xue felt so abused by Sundeman’s comments and criticisms that he gave her an ultimatum — it was either Sundeman or him. One of them had to go. Sundeman was fired, but then ran for commissioner and won. Several years ago, Xue hired a man as an office assistant who was unqualified, according to district officials. Sundeman believes that Willis influenced that decision, which Willis strongly denies. Xue was reprimanded for hiring the man. Then, when it was learned that this employee was unqualified for that job, Xue moved him to a higher salary job, senior inspector-sprayer, for which the man was also apparently unqualified, district officials said. “These are serious issues of judgment and performance,” Sundeman said, adding that this incident alone cost the district $300,000, though he didn’t explain how he reached that number. Sundeman disputes the allegation that his public comments led to a delay of the district’s zoning application for the headquarters property and he claims he would have supported the new headquarters idea if a “needs-cost analysis” had been done. “I didn’t stop the rezoning. All I did was say ‘You need to start looking at Mosquito Control because they’re wasting money,’ I was as surprised as anyone at the news of the zoning delay,” Sundeman said. “I’m damn mad. I tried my best to plead with those people and they ignored me.”